Brian Becker and John Kiriakou of Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear spoke to Randy Credico, a comedian and social advocate best known today for his support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Credico was called to testify before the US House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee for his work acting as a go-between for Trump adviser Roger Stone and WikiLeaks.

“I’ve been basically tarred and feathered by the mainstream media with this connection as the back channel between WikiLeaks and Roger Stone. Particularly MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and then-Mother Jones’ David Corn. I was named by Adam Schiff, [California Ranking Democrat on the] House Intelligence Committee, that I was the in-between person, and Roger Stone dropped a dime on me. I don’t even know what it’s all about, to be honest with you. I was supposed to testify today, but my lawyer said we’re taking the Fifth because I have a big mouth — I am a comedian.”

“I don’t know what they’re looking for, but I think the Roger Stone thing is a ruse or some kind of artifice to get me to talk about my conversations with Julian Assange, who I’ve seen three times this year inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. If they want to talk to me about that, I can’t talk about it. I’ve interviewed him four or five times for my radio show, I can share that.”

Credico also speculated that the invitation may be a warning for him to quiet down in his vocal support for Assange. “I had problems with my radio show from the very outset, by having the series be called ‘Julian Assange: Countdown to Freedom.’ The show was centered on Julian Assange and this witch hunt, this persecution of him. I consider him to be a very close friend and a very valuable publisher.”

“So I think that that’s what they’re ultimately trying to do here is trying to undermine Assange. It’s not Roger Stone, that’s just a way to get me to do what they want.”

“Do I think that WikiLeaks and Julian Assange told Hillary Clinton to stay out of Michigan and stay out of Wisconsin?” Credico asked. “I don’t think so. Clinton ran a horrible campaign — anyone that was involved in it were all in it for the money, there’s no ideology, it was just a way to make a lot of money. You have these think tanks, you’re trying to position yourself to win without making any kind of commitment that would help the average person.”

“But Trump went to those states and talked to people. People care about having a job. They don’t care about this Russiagate crap. The Democrats are wasting this time when they could be doing something a lot more useful for this country other than bloodletting of tax dollars onto this investigation.”

Credico compared the plight of Assange to abolitionist journalists who were persecuted by the pro-slavery state governments of the American South in the 1840s and 1850s. But, Credico said, Assange didn’t find the comparison accurate “because those abolitionist journalists, they only had one side that they were infuriating. Now Assange, he pisses off everybody, whether they be Democrats or Republicans. If he has something to publish, it will piss off people.”

To Credico, the magnifying glass placed on Assange — and by proxy himself — all came back to the Russiagate investigations. Speaking on Corn and Mother Jones, Credico speculated, “somebody has given him money to promote this Russian hack theory. I guess he wants to have a war with Russia. He can send his grandchildren to Estonia if he really wants to have a war.”

“That’s what they want. They really want a war — a soft war, not a nuclear war.”

To Credico, the entire Russiagate narrative amounts to little more than a prelude for armed conflict with Moscow. “If you take a look at Adam Schiff, 60 percent of his donations come from the arms industry. Congress passes a $696 billion defense budget, they need to spend this money on wars.”